The Depths of VNUS
by Cassiel McQuiver
Summary: We've all seen OCs serving as both heroes and anti-heroes of their respective stories. But what about those of the more villainous kind? Join the four-man squad known in Beacon's terms as team "VNUS" as they follow the path of Cinder's machinations. Rated M for possible adult themes. Possible T rating due to eventual prologue update.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:**

Hello there, and welcome to my second RWBY fan fiction story. In the event that you didn't see it on my profile page, _The Depths of VNUS_ is a work centering around my very own original characters. It can be considered a change to the standard O.C.-centered story seen on the site for at least one good reason – the characters featured are on the antagonist side of things rather than the protagonist. It will also feature possible events that Roman, Cinder and their respective henchmen could be conducting during the events of the canon universe. Hopefully, this will prove to be an entertaining spin to the ordinary.

Enjoy this teaser.

* * *

><p>"So, I take it you're her, then?"<p>

Cinder's eyes, cool and composed as they always had been, swept the darkened area for any sign of her target. Even as the girl's voice echoed around her, the form had yet to be sighted out. The only proof of her presence was the multitude of bodies strewn across the ground. "Just what do you mean by that?" She questioned, humoring her prey for the time being.

"The leader of these weaklings." The red-clad woman allowed herself to feel a mild dose of surprise at the ice coating the girl's words. "I assumed such, considering you just waltzed in here like you owned the place. How couldn't I, seeing you approach me so haughtily even after seeing what I did to your little mutts?"

That choice of words made Cinder chuckle in both amusement and mockery. "You mean this particular bunch? They're nothing to me if they allowed themselves to get killed by the likes of you. You'll also find that unlike them, I'm not so easy to dispose of."

"Is that a fact?" The girl's voice asked, demonstrating her own brand of amusement.

"I don't know." Cinder answered, smirking as she curled her fingers in preparation. Her hazel eyes briefly flashed in a physical gesture of alertness. "Maybe you'll get to find out for yourself... that is, if you manage to survive."

The girl let out a short and sharp laugh. "Oh, you've got quite the stones, you old prune! I'll have to give you at least that much. At the very least, you've earned the right to hear my name."

"And that would be?" Cinder inquired.

"Viola Carabosse. You would do well to remember it," The pause in the words was an unspoken catalyst. A light blue mist began to envelop the area, further preventing the eyes from gaining purchase on the environment. Once she felt the poison that was her opponent's murderous desire, Cinder reflexively tensed up in anticipation of an attack. The closing statement from her enemy solidified the event of a battle. "Because it's going to be the only thing you'll take with you to the afterlife!"

What followed that statement was the cross-shaped tip of a Yari spear as it was thrust towards the fire woman's back.

* * *

><p>"I don't see why you're being so resistant to this, kid." Although Roman was doing a good job of keeping a casual and professional attitude towards the situation, he couldn't help the slightest hint of irritation out of his voice. He paced in front of the table, idly swinging his cane aroud "I mean, from where I'm standing, you have nowhere else to go. Your master's up and left you to die, no one else would dare to take you in after what you've done, and you don't have much to lose—"<p>

"Aside from myself?" The boy snarled, glaring at the crime boss with angry eyes. His sharp tone caused the older man to stop and look at him in mild surprise. "I already learned the hard way the consequences of swearing loyalty to anyone else other than yourself. I know how you slime balls work, Torchwick. You lead your little minions out on a string as long as you want to, and then when you don't need them anymore, you dispose of them in any way you think is best. I have nothing to gain by joining you."

A slow smirk came across Roman's face, much to the boy's chagrin. "Au contraire, _Nessie_," He answered, causing his verbal target's frown to deepen. "You have quite a lot to gain by joining me. Your former master gave me that much before those White Fang went to town on him. Maybe I should've told them to leave him intact so that he'd at least have a little last heart-to-heart with his most prized servant, but-"

"Wait a minute, what?!" Green and slitted eyes widened to join a shocked vocalization of shock and disbelief. It was something that made Roman chuckle in amusement.

"Yeah." He said casually, turning to face "Nessie". While one hand held the hook of his cane, the other moved to grasp the shaft in the matter of a lecturing professor. "Didn't you hear about that, kid? Your old boss wasn't exactly known for good treatment of his servants – something I'm sure you're pretty much aware of. So not too long before I found you, I tracked him and gave out his coordinates. Long story short, he's very much dead now. While normally this means that we've effectively liberated you completely from your chains-"

He cut himself off, abruptly raising the butt of his cane to point at a rising and furious Nessie. The targeting reticle flipped into place, locking onto its target with an aim perfect at the distance the two were from each other. His action caused the young man to freeze up, although he still kept defiance in both expression and stance. The crime boss continued to speak as casually as he had been. "It also means that I've effectively ruined every one of your plans. Isn't that right, my friend?"

"I should kill you." Nessie seethed, one of his hands eagerly grasping the hilt of his katana. "I should kill you right now and-"

"And what?" Even noting his step closer to hostility, Roman did not waver. "Add gain yet another useless dead body? I think we both know you want better than that." He lowered his cane, flipping the reticle back into a holstered position and giving a knowing smirk. "And fortunately for you, I am a very generous person. I can give you what your master wouldn't. I can fulfill that greatest desire of yours, the one you held onto even as the geezer stripped everything else away. But whether or not that happens is up to what you're up to. So I'd think carefully about your next choice of words and action if I were you, kid."

As he saw the conflict blooming within those green and snake-like eyes, Roman's smirk grew wider. He had the boy right where he wanted him.

* * *

><p>The blonde gave a small grunt of exertion as he looked down at his prey, smiling in a cruel fashion as he watched her struggle against him. His fingers tightened their hold, increasing the pressure on her neck and rewarding him with more frantic and pained gags. "Still fighting, sweetie?" He asked her in rhetoric. "By all means, keep it up. All it's doing its making me more eager to see the light disappear from your eyes."<p>

He paused to think about his words, his smile slowly fading away as he lost himself. But the pressure on the girl's throat didn't relent in the slightest, and her writhing didn't get any closer to the precious thing known as oxygen. It was only after a few seconds that he slowly leaned down so that they were staring at each other eye to eye. "Or maybe you don't want that." He said, tilting his head to the side slightly. "It's always so hard to tell with you women, and it's been quite a while since I've had a time of pleasure." His smile returned when he saw fear flashing within her crimson eyes. "How about it? What's say I choke you silly, turn you around and put one right up your-"

He wouldn't get to finish that sentence.

A flying knee smashed into the side of his face, sending his world on its head. His hands involuntarily let go of his victim, who immediately took a greedy gasp of air. His body was sent tumbling and skidding across the ground before coming to a standstill a few meters away. His assailant straightened his pose and settled into a fighting stance, although his posture was somewhat off courtesy of exhaustion. The victim slowly sat herself up, looking at her savior and rubbing at her neck. "Seriously thought I was a goner..." She breathed. "Thanks for the save, Mercury."

"No problem." Although his tone was as loose as always, there was a subtle dose of venom that now coated Mercury's tired voice. His gray eyes glared at Umbro as he struggled to stand back up from the blow dealt. "But now that I heard that little tidbit, I'm about to do more than just that. Cinder said to bring this guy back alive." A small smirk appeared on his face. "But she didn't say not to break whatever we wanted before we did. Can you still fight?"

Emerald gave a small grunt as she hefted herself up, immediately following the movements of her assailant. "Yeah..." She muttered, moving over to pick up her twin blades. "Just give me a moment..."

As Umbro stood up, his tongue detected a taste of iron within his mouth. As he glared at Mercury, he turned his head slightly to the side and spit. However, he turned a shocked gaze to the contents that exited his mouth – more specifically, a gob of blood and a tooth. His lips abruptly curled into a furious snarl, and he swung an outraged glare towards Mercury. His fists clenched and raised to a more threatening position, and his form was outlined by the veins with a bright orange-red color. "Kid," He snarled. "That's one action you're not going to live to regret!"

"Try me." Mercury said coolly, bracing himself for the imminent assault. His partner flanked him, her knives readied in preparation. "That is, if you got what it takes."

Without hesitation, a scream and fists full of artificial flames, the blonde threw himself at his opponents once more.

* * *

><p>"Almost there, thank Dust..." The driver sighed, resisting the urge to let her head fall on the steering wheel. "Then I can go back home!"<p>

"You sound rather tired." Her gray-haired passenger commented, her voice soft and quiet. Crimson eyes looked over with a mixture of timidness and curiosity. "Have you been driving people places most of the day? If you don't mind me asking."

"Hit it right on the mark." The Faunus commended, giving a weak smirk but keeping her eyes on the shifting road. "I've been hauling people from point A to point B to point C and back again. The boss's got me running ragged! Come to think of it, the majority of this White Fang stuff has been taking the life out of me. I think I'm gonna swing around for an early retirement, get back to my husband and son. Dust knows they're worried."

Sylvia's ears perked up at this. "You've got a family? But how come you're working with the White Fang?"

The driver gave a light shrug and a weak smile as she slowed down to a short line of cars in front of a red stoplight. "It pays the bills. Although they're a bit too famous for their own good, they make quite a bit of money. Besides, it's not exactly easy for a Faunus like me to get a job, if you hadn't noticed already." The response earned Sylvia's slight frown, along with an understanding nod.

"Well, I'm sure you're looking forward to it. I bet that your family's going to be so happy to see you after so much hard work."

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it!" The driver's smile turned more enthusiastic at the thought. She turned her attention forward again when the light turned, continuing her drive towards their mutual destination. "But, enough about me. You're here because you were called in, right? Must have some skills on you to get into this line of business."

"Oh!" Briefly taken aback by the switch of topic, Sylvia looked down nervously at the shotgun-submachine gun hybrid on her lap. "Well, I'd like to say I'm competent enough." She said softly, giving a weak smile of her own. "But I don't know what she might say. I'm not sure if I'm going to meet her expectations. What if I'm rejected? What if she doesn't think my skills are enough?"

By this point in time, the car stopped in what appeared to be an abandoned garage. The driver looked at her passenger in sympathy and encouragement as she slowed to a stop, reaching to place a hand on the timid girl's shoulder. "Relax, kid. Just be honest, remain confident and you'll make it. If she's impressed by what she's seen up to this point, I'm sure you'll have no trouble coming aboard. Now get out there and show her what you're made of."

"Thank you..." With a bit of that mentioned confidence flashing through her eyes, Sylvia gave the driver a grateful nod. She opened the car door, pushing it open and letting it swing aside. As she stepped out, the driver turned back to the road and waited patiently for the door to close. But she would turn her attention back when the girl spoke up again.

"Oh, and just so we're clear..."

What she didn't expect was for the barrel of the gun to be pointed at her, its wielder supporting a blank expression on her face.

"Your family's going to be joining you soon enough."

The sounds of fired pistol rounds and shattered glass followed soon after.


	2. Intro 1 - V for Viola

It was amazing that despite the control Roman Torchwick had over the city of Vale, he still ran by the leash of a master.

Time after that, he had demonstrated himself to be a clear threat to both producers and consumers of the energy known as Dust. He found the treasure, ripped it out of its protective chests and dealt with the naysayers as he saw fit. Law enforcement had attempted to corner him many times, only to fall short of their target each and every time. He was a roach, slipping into the darkest corners of the earth before the light could fall on him completely. He was a blockade between the people and their lunar elixir of life. He was Roman Torchwick, a man no one knew but everyone feared. But even considering all of that, he was still a puppet of a much more fearsome criminal that lurked behind his shadow. As far as he was concerned, he was nothing more than the shroud that sheltered the real darkness.

In this particular point of time, he was speaking to that darkness in the safety of his private headquarters. He was seated in a folding chair, the heels of his feet resting on the edge of the table in front of him. A cigar, lit and smoking, was clenched between his teeth while a phone was caught between his ear and shoulder. His hands were folded behind his back, completing his posture of relaxation. Although his expression conveyed mostly indifference, there was a hint of irritation that could be picked up within it and his tone. Speaking to his "superior" wasn't the most favorable thing to do.

"So, in other words, you want me to help you babysit?"

"If you want to put it that way," Her voice was a rather eerie thing to listen to, smooth as silk but carrying a fitting quantity of menace. "Then yes. I want you to help me babysit."

Green eyes rolled. "And what's so special about these brats?" Their owner pressured, lifting a hand from the back of his head to take his cigar between two fingers. "I know you said they're dangerous and they could be of good use, but-"

"It's not just them, Roman." Her voice answered, selectively oblivious to his skepticism. "They're only the first of many. As you may or may not know, Ozpin's been going out, finding children with combat potential and inviting them to join in the festivities of his beloved academy. Long story short, I prefer him not getting ahead of me."

After taking the cigar out of his mouth to blow a puff of smoke, Roman chuckled. "Afraid of a little competition, are we?"

"He could hardly be described as competition." Her words were blunt, yet held a subtle amount of arrogance. "The less pests we have to deal with, the better."

"Fair point." Roman relented, sticking the cigar back into his mouth and folding his hand behind his head again. "I suppose you've got a plan for this little "hunting" mission of yours. Two of your targets can be taken care of immediately, considering that they're nearer to me than the other half." His tone, momentarily swung by confidence, was soured a little upon his next choice of words. "Unless, of course, you expect me to go after all of them."

"Oh, Roman," Her patronizing voice and the tone more suited to a mother when she's addressing an ignorant child did nothing to soothe his irritation. "There's no need to stress yourself. All you need to focus on are the two within your vicinity. I'll take care of the rest. That should be easy enough for you, right?"

The crime boss only dignified it with a scoff.

"I trust that you can carry out this task just have you've been everything else. Remember that I was the one who gave you a way out," Her words, laced with that subtle blend of threat, sent a chill down his spine that not even the warmth from his cigar could fight off. "And I can easily either put you back in... or I can put you down. Either way, make it a personal goal of yours to not fall short of my expectations. Is that clear?"

It took him a moment to regain his voice. "Crystal."

"Good. You have your job, and I have mine. I'll see you around."

With those words of punctuation, the connection was cut. Roman straightened himself up, allowing the folding chair to fall on all fours. He released the phone from his physical bind, glaring at it as he clutched it within his hand. With a heavy sigh, he placed the phone back onto its receiver and stood up. "It's times like this that I wonder why I'm letting myself do this." He muttered, shoving the chair under the desk and facing the exit to his room. "The shrew simply can't be satisfied."

* * *

><p>No matter how many times she went through it, it was always a strange experience for Cinder Fall to walk in the midst of public.<p>

She was a criminal in the eyes of the law, every action an insult to their enforcement. In other circumstances, going about the concrete walk with anything outside of a visual veil would've been quite the idiotic move. But thanks to Roman's stage performances, she was able to move to and fro with the grace of a simple civilian. It was why she could casually stroll with a suit-and-tie attire and carry a briefcase without having to worry about anything other than a few wolf-whistles from male onlookers. She would never admit it to the lowlife thief, though, and she would die before she showed any gratitude to the likes of a pawn.

It was evening, just about nearing four o' clock. By this time, the men and women of young would be leaving their respective workplaces to fill the sidewalks and streets with their presence. It caused Cinder to grimace as she neared them, having to wade through the masses as if she was stuck in molasses. Even without the status of a professional criminal, she was not a particularly social person. Thus, being in the company of whom she considered to be "mindless sheep" was not a pleasing situation to be in. But once again, it was a minor inconvenience that she could easily step over. Her goal was this – to meet and greet the soon-to-be recruit at one "Vale University". By this time, the target of interest would be ready to leave one of her classes to go on break.

She wouldn't expect someone to come and visit.

Eventually, she found a break in the mass of people and came to a concrete path leading to the university – or rather, the main part of the building. The entire college was made up of several buildings scattered throughout a wide and grassy campus ground. Fortunately for her, the one she was hunting for wasn't too far off from the "head". Additionally, there weren't very many people roaming the concrete walks lining the campus, so visual sighting wouldn't be too hard. The only thing she'd have to really be concerned about was the angle; she was anticipating the target to walk on a particular path so that they would end up approaching each other. Anything outside of that would be a sign of an opportunity missed.

As she came to a fork, she paused to take a look at her wristwatch.

_4:01_.

Giving a small nod to herself, she turned her direction to the right and continued her walk. Hazel eyes swept the path she was on, searching for her objective. There was a student here, a clique of students there, and a professor just about everywhere. But as she approached the building the target was supposed to come out of, she couldn't find the potential anywhere within her sight. By this point, going inside the building seemed like the only alternative option to finding another path. More people would be concentrated in number there, making visual locating all the more difficult. She steeled herself, mentally preparing for the possible task of picking out a needle from a haystack.

But then, she saw her. Coming up to her front was a young girl dragging a wheeled backpack behind her. She had long, pale blue hair tied in a low ponytail and a black headband atop her crown. For attire, she wore a light gray sweater without shoulders and with straps, a black skirt that reached just above the knee, and black sneaker boots with pale blue laces. Blue eyes stared ahead with the utmost formality, her gait emphasizing her status as a young woman. Cinder took it all in even as she pretended not to acknowledge her, identifying it as the one she was looking for.

She waited for the right opportunity as the two walked towards each other, closing the distance between one another. Each and every step caused tingles to travel through Cinder's nerves – tingles that she had long since learned to adapt to. She made a subtle shift so that she would be closer to the girl's lane and within arm's reach, making sure that the target wouldn't stop suddenly or bank off. She continued to keep that facade of another passerby, watching as the girl came closer and closer. The time seemed to go by faster than normal, and it wasn't long before the females were upon each other. Seizing the moment, she raised and reached out with her free hand towards the young girl's shoulder.

What she didn't expect was for that hand to get halted and her wrist to be in hold.

The rolling wheels of the backpack stopped, and now the two were looking at each other with their own expressions. While Cinder held a restrained amount of awe at the girl's reflexes, the girl merely looked on with an impassive and unreadable look. Either Cinder hadn't put up a cover good enough to mask her intentions, or the girl had an unhealthy amount of paranoia. Either way, the woman couldn't help but give an impressed smirk. "Saw me coming, did you?" She questioned.

Although there was no change of expression from the girl, her response was casual and almost lazy. "Let's just say I've had my fair share of men who didn't understand the word "no"." She lowered her hand, subsequently releasing her grip on Cinder's wrist. "What do you want, lady?"

Cinder raised an eyebrow at the girl's blunt tone of voice. "Shouldn't you be concerned as to who I am first?" She asked, to which she earned a light shrug.

"With the way you were carrying on, I can't really see you as anything more than a messenger, and I'm pretty sure messengers don't stop to make friends with their recipients. So go on," The girl placed a hand on her hip and leaned on the handle of her backpack while giving a slight look of annoyance. "Spit it out. Or are you going to stand here and burn all two of my free hours?"

"Not here." Cinder said firmly. "I'd prefer if we were in a place easier to chat. Care to lead me?"

There was a brief moment of silence in which the girl took to study Cinder with a scrutinizing eye, before she replied with, "There's a cafe I was heading out to for lunch. Care to join me? I think I could relieve you of a few Lien, in case you want something."

"Hm? That's an awful lot of generosity to a "messenger" like me, isn't it?" Cinder asked half-rhetorically.

The girl gave a coy smile. "I think I can like you just enough for that." With a nod of her head, she grabbed hold of her backpack and presumed her walking with her new companion in tow. "C'mon. The cafe's this way."

* * *

><p>"Ugh, I swear to Dust. I like these tacos, but they make so much of a mess!"<p>

Cinder watched as the girl fumbled with her delectable, trying to keep the beef from spilling onto the table they sat at. She had a less of a mess concerning her own choice of food, which consisted of a simple chicken salad. With one hand braced against a cheek and another holding a fork that idly dug through strips, she remarked, "The best things in life don't come without a challenge to obtain them."

"I guess so..." The blue-haired girl muttered, giving the bitten taco a slight glare. "Didn't think that would apply to food, too. Anyway," She set it down on the table, her gaze gaining a serious edge to it as it was leveled at the raven-haired woman. "What brings you here? Or more importantly, who sent you here?"

As she stabbed her forked edges into a piece of meat, Cinder gave a small grin. "I can't say out loud due to publicity reasons, but," She gave a pointing gesture to the girl with her capture. "I'm sure you'll know who I'm talking about if I mention a black bowler cap, won't you?" She followed this up by sticking the piece in her mouth, savoring both the flavor and the expression of shock on the girl's face.

"You mean Candle Boy?" She asked incredulously, to which Cinder gave a small nod. Her expression turned to skepticism. "Forgive me for saying this, but you don't seem like you'd fit the part. You seem too... sophisticated... for the likes of him."

"What can I say?" Cinder said, . "He has his way with words, and his words can have their way with whoever he aims them at. He hopes that it'll be the same case with you."

The girl scoffed, folding her arms across her chest and raising a haughty brow. "Yeah? And why's he interested in little old me?" She unfolded them, motioning towards herself. "As you can plainly see, I'm not much of anything more than a college student trying to make her way to graduation. Actually, I'm a college student trying to make her way to graduation _and_ talking to some lady in a suit. But still, I don't see why someone like that would be so-"

"I believe we both know that's not true." Cinder's smooth tone held a bluntness within it that made its target freeze in both vocal and motor functions. She rested both arms on the table, peering at the girl with a glint of knowing. "We've been watching you. We've known about your activities before you even dared to associate yourself with this college. We know about your ups and downs, your climb," She reached with her fork, its tongues hovering over two strips this time. "And your fall."

A stab.

"Students aren't the only ones who have to do their homework."

There was a silence. Cinder simply took bites of her purchase, watching as the girl slowly lowered her arms back down. Blue eyes stared into hazel as if trying to find the bluff within such a bold statement. But no matter how hard she peered, her target revealed no weaknesses. Even if she did happen to be lying, she was concealing it very well. She was left regarding the woman in speechlessness and restrained worry, and it seemed like an eternity before she could find the words to speak again. "That so?" Was all she could manage.

"Indeed." Cinder answered, regressing back into a more conversational tone once she finished. "All of it's made you into someone worth giving a purpose to. I know you don't want to stay like this, wasting away in the masses of hopefuls just for the sake of being someone else's slave girl." With her free hand, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a note card to slide over to the girl, who picked it up between two fingers and studied it.

_86 Cherub Avenue_

It would've been nothing but a simple address, had it been directed to anyone without a clue concerning how Vale was mapped. But the girl did. It was home to an abandoned kindergarten school called "Little Lamb Elementary", which had closed its doors permanently due to a White Fang attack. There were reasons claiming that a majority of the staff were discriminatory against Faunus children, but they had yet to be confirmed or denied. Either way, the school was now a disheveled and partially burned down wreck, presenting a home to small creatures of the night. So seeing the choice of address made her face scrunch up in contained disdain, and she didn't hesitate to voice her concern. "You're kidding, right?" She asked rhetorically. "That's where that abandoned kindergarten school is. Out of all the places that could've been picked, it had to be _that_ one?"

"Well, under any other circumstance, we would've picked a more suitable location to talk." Cinder said. "But as it is, we're under pressure. You understand, don't you?"

Although her disgusted expression conveyed her feelings on the matter, the girl managed a harsh sigh and begrudging nod. "Fine. I guess beggars can't be choosers, and I might as well be hobo enough now." There was a particularly harsh emphasis on the word "hobo", albeit subtle at best. But if Cinder noticed, she was quick to ignore it.

"Is that a yes I'm hearing?" The woman asked.

She was taken back when the girl jerked a finger towards her in what seemed to be accusation. "Yeah." She snipped, her voice sharp and barbed. "But let's get one thing straight here. If your boss isn't worth my time, I'm out the first chance I get. The last thing I'm gonna stand is someone trying to string me along with scraps or someone who's going to weigh me down."

Her words garnered a smirk from the messenger. "Oh, don't worry." She assured, reaching over the table with an open palm. "You're in good hands."

The palm was clasped by a shifting hand, and Cinder's expression was mirrored by her target's.

* * *

><p><em>11:30<em>.

When she approached the abandoned structure, the recruit wasn't dressed up like a harmless college student. Instead, she was in a state more suited for a street dweller; she wore a white zippered short-sleeve hoodie with a dark blue long-sleeved shirt underneath, a mid-thigh skirt matching the undershirt's color, black leggings and the same sneaker boots. Her frosty blue hair, shadowed by the depths of her hood, had been put up into a bun, elegant and what others would daringly describe as "cute". But what she had strapped onto her back was anything but cute: a folded rifle hidden within the confines of a holster and the aid of darkness. She didn't know exactly what was in store for her, but she had reason to believe that if "Candle Boy" was involved, her adventure would be far from the proverbial walk in the park.

After giving the "Little Lamb Elementary" letter sign above the entrance a hard look, she pushed open the doors and stepped inside. What greeted her was the sight of a locker-lined hallway affected by years of neglect and continuous scavenging. Lockers were strewn open for varying reasons, whether they were due to time, thieves or something else entirely. Without the light of day, it was like walking into an abyss. A feeling of unease crawled across the girl's nerves, but she did her best to shake it off as she made her way through. "That messenger girl better be right about the location," She grumbled, tentatively stepping over fallen pieces of wall and ceiling. "Otherwise, I'm just wasting my time-"

She almost jumped ten feet into the air when she saw a rat scurry past her.

"_Yipe!_"

But instead, she jerked both arms and a leg up in what would've been a bizarre martial arts stance in any other situation. Her eyes regarded the path the rat took with shock and horror, and she remained frozen in form as if waiting for the little beast to attack her. But after a few seconds with its absence, it was clear that it wasn't coming back. Her fright regressed to a grimace, and her impression of a fainting goat was quick to subside. She let out an annoyed huff as she continued walking, trying her best to pretend that her outburst didn't happen. "Dust, I hate this place." She muttered, passing a glare to a locker door on the verge of falling off its hinges. "Would've been a lot worse if I was still dressing fancy..."

As she walked through the hallways, she noticed that alongside the signs of decay were marks of the White Fang's presence. There was graffiti on the walls, most of it having rotted off due to being there for so long. But there was some parts of it that hadn't been fragmented or erased completely. As varying and different as they were, they all carried at least a semblance of threat and warning. It was clear that the Faunus terrorists wanted their mark to be known here, to let others know of the crime the school committed against their kind. To the girl, it was just another sign of their degenerate and despicable reputation.

Eager to escape the marks of the renegades, the girl reached the entryway of a staircase. But she stopped upon seeing what was in front of her. The door that would've served as an obstacle between her and the stairs laid in front of her with snapped hinges and the faint traces of a boot mark. At first, she believed it to be when the White Fang had first stormed the place. But as she tentatively stepped through, she could hear the distinct sounds of conversing voices from above. She paused, tensing her body for complete silence as she listened.

"...area is clear. No sign of the target."

"Keep your eyes peeled. Cinder said she would be coming soon enough. Remember your orders. Execute on sight."

Naturally, this sent the girl's mind into a brief state of disarray. She could tell right away that they were talking about her. But she didn't expect them to talk about killing her on sight. Right away, her expression contorted with the apprehension that she might have just walked into a trap, and an attempt on her life. Roman knew who she was, where she had come from and how much profit would be gained if her head was taken. But who was Cinder, and why did it sound like they were taking instructions from her instead of the crime boss?

Even as these thoughts raced through her head, it didn't stop her from ascending the stairs to the designated floor. Her movements were quick and quiet, trying not to give the guards a chance to anticipate her presence. As she moved, she grasped at the folded rifle in its holster and pulled it out to her side. Once she reached the top of the stairs, she pressed her back against the wall and peeked out from the doorway to see what she was up against.

Standing at what she assumed to be the principal's office was a collection of White Fang soldiers. They were armed with varying degrees of weaponry, from pistols to rifles and even melee weapons. But it was also noted that there was only a small group to deal with – a note that caused her eyes to narrow and a thoughtful frown to cross her face. She had enough confidence to believe this particular bunch to be nothing more than fodder to her. Either this was a sorry excuse for an assassination attempt, or there was more to the situation than what met the eye. She could shut out the first statement of reasoning for two reasons, with one of them relying on the idea that the feared criminal boss wasn't that stupid and the other claiming that the earnest, business-like attitude of his messenger was genuine. Why would she have made an "offer of employment" if it led to something like this? It was such a novice move.

And it was too obvious to be accidental.

As she put the pieces together, she started to see what was going on. This was a test, an initiation to see if the girl had what it took to join the ranks. As far as the identity of Cinder went, she could do little more than take long shots. But the behavior of the messenger seemed far too professional, composed and mature to be an unwitting pawn of Roman's. Her thoughtful frown slowly curled into an understanding smirk. "Oh, you sly cougar, you..." She whispered, pulling her head back and swinging her folded rifle out. It unfolded with a brief clacking noise, unveiling the design of a magazine-fed semi-automatic. The resulting noise caused White Fang troopers to jerk in surprise, ranged weapons pointed at the source.

"What was that?!"

"Sounded like a rat. Go check it out, just to be sure."

"Why do I have to-?! Ugh, fine..."

Footsteps indicated the unlucky guard sent to check out what had made the racket. The girl's heart rate increased, but her smile only turned more devilish. She tightened her grip on the rifle's barrel as she waited patiently for him to come close enough. From the sound of it, he was the only one that was daring to come to her position. It was courageous, but also foolish. He would serve as the perfect stepping stone for her attack.

When the tip of his rifle poked into her vision, she threw herself out into the open. He never saw her coming.

"What the-?!"

He couldn't finish his startled sentence, as the grip of her weapon collided with his chin in a swift uppercut. The force of the blow and the abrupt nature of the attack made him drop his weapon and stagger back. She gave no quarter, twirling the weapon around and delivering another swing that connected with his groin. He let out a pained howl as he bent downwards, his hands instinctively moving to the affected area. But he was met with a swift boot to the chest for his trouble, knocking him flat on his back. Within the time span of a few seconds, she had downed the armed terrorist.

It didn't take long for them to react to her presence.

"It's her! It's "Blue"!"

"Take her down!"

They leveled their guns at her as they shouted out. In response, she brought her foot down on the downed White Fang soldier's crotch and earned another squeal of pain from him. Her rifle was twisted and aimed at her targets with quickness, her sights lining up with the lead melee attacker as he tried to rush her. All of the sensations she felt were pushed into an all-time high, what with an enemy squirming underneath her heels and others perfectly lined up for the taking. This test would be one she would enjoy very much.

She pulled the trigger and let the fire fly.

The first shot collided with its target's chest, dropping him quickly. In response, the rifleman pulled their triggers to let their own bullets fly in her direction. She threw herself on the ground stomach-first to evade their fire before returning it, landing a shot in the torsos of a few more soldiers. The way she picked off her targets caused them to stumble back against others in their death throes, throwing off their formations. It gave her several precious seconds of opportunity, which she used to push herself off the ground and rush them. With a button press and flip of her weapon, she urged it into its close-quarters form: a cross-tipped Yari spear.

They hadn't recovered quickly enough before she was on them, a swing taking down another hapless target. From there, she flowed into a deadly dance of limbs, her body working in conjunction with her weapon in order to take down her victims. She was met with the butts of rifles and the blade of combat knives, which she both blocked and evaded as she attacked. She weaved herself and her spear into their lines, taking them down one by one with what looked like the same level of effort as breathing. It wasn't too long before she finished, and by the time she did, she was left standing over a crowd of bodies. She balanced her spear on her shoulder and paused to admire her handiwork.

Or at least, that's what she would've looked like she was doing had it not been for the scowl on her face. For her, the fight had been too easy. If they knew everything about her, then they knew that she would've trumped these soldiers easily. As far as she was concerned, these were little more than small fry, appetizers before the main feast. She wasn't hesitant on voicing these thoughts out of her head. "This has to be some sort of joke." She grumbled, sweeping the area to make sure any more enemies weren't in hiding. "If this is all that I needed to do for my initiation, I might as well go back home."

"Then it's a good thing it's only the start."

A familiar feminine voice came to her ears, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. She turned her body to see the messenger from before, approaching her with hip-and-leg emphasizing gait. But in contrast to the suit and tie attire she wore before, she was now wearing a red dress, black shorts underneath and high heeled shoes. The click of those heels against the floor made by her steps caused apprehension to well up within the girl, and she settled into a defensive stance while leveling her Yari at the approaching woman. But it was only until she was at the traditional fighter's distance that she stopped, giving a smirk. "I had trouble deciding whether to send out more grunts or have one or two of my more competent soldiers take care of you. But in the end, I wanted to see for myself what the former daughter of a royal family could do."

"What are you on about?" The girl asked tersely. "Where's Candle?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, her smirk fading away for a moment. "Don't tell me you don't see it." She chided, placing her hands on her hips. "If it was he who orchestrated this little interview, he'd be here right now. But alas, he doesn't have an attention span high enough to focus on such a thing." She allowed herself to walk again, causing the girl's body to tense up. But under such a confident gaze, she found herself unable to hold her defensive stance. Her weapon was freed by one hand and lowered to her side, allowing the woman to stand face-to-face with her. "He doesn't see the potential in you like I do."

It was amazing how one could change from humble to intimidating within just a second encounter. The woman was a head taller than the girl, and combined with that seemingly predatory smile, it became next to impossible to maintain eye contact. In a fit of wariness, the girl averted her eyes away and jerked her head down. But one hand found its way to her chin, gently cupping it and bringing it back up so that she'd have to look at those hazel eyes. She was held in that captivating grip, allowing the woman to continue her speech. "Your father doesn't see the potential in you like I do. He was always focused on that swine of a sister, never focusing on what you've accomplished for him. You want to make him regret it, make her regret ever taking that place from you. Well,"

The woman slid her hand upward to caress the girl's cheek, taking amusement in seeing the younger female shiver under the touch. "I can give you that chance, the opportunity to rise to the top. But it's going to be up to me as to whether or not you deserve it. And at a time like this," She slid the tips of her fingers against the girl's cheek as she pulled away, taking a few steps back until she was at a comfortable distance again. "The last thing you want to do is disappoint your new boss."

It was quite a while before the girl could speak again. "...what's your name?"

The woman tilted her head to the side. "I thought you weren't concerned with the names of messengers."

"That was before I realized you were top dog around here and not Candle Boy." The more the girl spoke, more of her attitude came back into her voice. She rolled around her shoulders, the wariness and caution exercising itself from her body. She gave a scrutinizing glare towards the woman, spreading her feet and readying her spear in preparation for another fight. "If anything, I'd like to know the name of the one I'm going to be giving my services to. With everything you know about me, I'd like to know at least something about you."

"You're that sure of yourself?"

It was the girl's turn to smirk. "When you're me, you tend to be very optimistic about your chances."

Satisfaction twinkled within the woman's eyes, even as she settled into a stance of her own. "Cinder. Cinder Fall."

"For the sake of proper introduction," The girl answered, tightening her grip on the staff and tensing her legs. "Viola Carabosse. Hope you'll have enough sense to remember that once I'm done beating it out of you!"

Without hesitation and with the eagerness of a bull, Viola charged at a waiting Cinder.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<br>**Firstly, allow me to apologize for the long absence. For the few that had read my story and was waiting for another chapter, I'm quite certain you were believing it to be soon after the prologue. Things such as procrastination and life callings have kept me from publishing it in the time you wanted, but I will try my hardest to keep going. Here is hoping that you're still willing to support me and help me out as I continue with the character's intros.

Note that this chapter is vastly different from the section introduced into the prologue. That's because there have been many idea shifts, and by this point, what is hinted at in the prologue is mostly out-of-date. I will make sure to update it as soon as I complete each character trailer.

Thoughts of putting the main fight scene were uncertain, so I left it out on a cliffhanger. If any of you think that completion of the fight scene would be more appropriate, I will work on one.


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